Environmental Social Marketing
Experimenting with social marketing approaches for environmental behavior change.
Behavior change tools and ideas
At Colorado State University's Center for Science Communication, we've been developing and testing social marketing-based approaches to encourage people to adopt environmental behaviors. All of our approaches, materials, and lessons learned are available here for anyone to use or adapt for non-commercial purposes. This website is still under development as of October 2023. Please contact katie.abrams@colostate.edu if you're looking for something in particular.
Recent Programs
At the intersection of strategic communication, behavior change, and environmental issues.
Safe Wildlife Distance
This project began with a simple question: how can parks encourage visitors to keep safe distances from wildlife by using better communication science?
The National Park Service and Colorado State University worked together to create and test a communication campaign to encourage more park visitors to keep their distance from wildlife.
Clean Campsite, Clear Conscience
This project funded by an NPS cooperative agreement developed an initiative based in the social marketing framework to determine whether it could change campers’ and picknickers' compliance with park rules and guidelines for managing their wildlife attractants.
Fort Collins Air Aware
Air quality in Northern Colorado is an increasing threat to public health. While we have a good base of tools to communicate the air quality index, it is not tailored sufficiently for outdoor workers who cannot often choose to just stay inside. See how we tailored a social marketing approach with funding from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to help outdoor workers routinely check the AQI and protect their health. Resarch results expected in 2024.
Want to work with us?
We’re open to collaborations with organizations and businesses that are interested in improving communication around human-wildlife conflict issues in particular, but also any environmental or environmental health issues.
Colorado State University offers world-class expertise in this area with our Center for Science Communication. This university-wide center is poised to connect multi-disciplinary expertise with communities and organizations to integrate effective science communication approaches to solve societies greatest challenges. For social marketing-specific projects, contact:
Dr. Katie Abrams, Associate Professor
Department of Journalism and Media Communication Colorado State University
katie.abrams@colostate.edu